Prosthetic Terminator Arm Lets Man Tie Shoes And Grab A Beer

For anyone who has ever had one or both arms suffer an accident or disease that left the person an amputee, I’d like to give them all a…n applauding…gesture. All stupid jokes aside, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this story without my hands, so it’s impossible for me to take them for granted. Six years ago, Nigel Ackland of Cambridgeshire, England experienced such an accident, involving an industrial blender, and though he lived for years with a purely cosmetic false hand, the bebionic3 prosthetic hand — the most advanced one yet — changed his life last November.

After the British website SWNS TV showcased Ackland’s story on their website last year, they received quite a bit of positive feedback, and Ackland agreed to come back for another video showing a few more ways in which he has adapted to the “Terminator arm.” Not only is the arm itself suitably advanced for a biomechanical limb, but it’s heartwarming to see the deeply embedded appreciation for the device on Nigel’s face as he goes about his tasks. It’s a sign of humanity that a piece of machinery could never possibly replace.

It’s incredible that the bebionic3 can accomplish the simple but dexterous task of tying a shoe, but even more incredibly, he can even hold a beer properly. I mean, you can always wear velcro shoes if you can’t tie laces, but what are you gonna do with a beer? Put it in your other hand? Surely you jest.

I’m probably going to spend the next hour or so thinking about how often I could utilize a wrist that spins 360 degrees. No matter what I come up with, I still wouldn’t be as cool as Nigel. Well done, sir.